January 3
Perihelion, the point during the year when the Earth is closest to the Sun, occurs around this date. Events *1521 – Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther in the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem. *1653 – By the Coonan Cross Oath, the Eastern Church in India cuts itself off from colonial Portuguese tutelage. *1749 – Benning Wentworth issues the first of the New Hampshire Grants, leading to the establishment of Vermont. * 1749 – The first issue of Berlingske, Denmark's oldest continually operating newspaper, is published. *1777 – American General George Washington defeats British General Lord Cornwallis at the Battle of Princeton. *1815 – Austria, the United Kingdom, and France form a secret defensive alliance against Prussia and Russia. *1823 – Stephen F. Austin receives a grant of land in Texas from the government of Mexico. *1848 – Joseph Jenkins Roberts is sworn in as the first president of Liberia. *1861 – American Civil War: Delaware votes not to secede from the United States. *1868 – Meiji Restoration in Japan: The Tokugawa shogunate is abolished; agents of Satsuma and Chōshū seize power. *1870 – Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge begins. *1871 – Battle of Bapaume, a battle in the Franco-Prussian war occurs. *1885 – Sino-French War: Beginning of the Battle of Núi Bop *1888 – The James Lick telescope at the Lick Observatory, measuring 91 cm in diameter, is used for the first time. It was the largest refracting telescope in the world at the time. *1911 – A magnitude 7.7 earthquake destroys the city of Almaty in Russian Turkestan. * 1911 – A gun battle in the East End of London left two dead and sparked a political row over the involvement of then-Home Secretary Winston Churchill. *1913 – An Atlantic coast storm sets the lowest confirmed barometric pressure reading for a non-tropical system in the continental United States. *1919 – At the Paris Peace Conference, Emir Faisal I of Iraq signs an agreement with Zionist leader Chaim Weizmann on the development of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. *1925 – Benito Mussolini announces he is taking dictatorial powers over Italy. *1932 – Martial law is declared in Honduras to stop a revolt by banana workers fired by the United Fruit Company. *1933 – Minnie D. Craig becomes the first woman elected as Speaker of the North Dakota House of Representatives, the first woman to hold a Speaker position anywhere in the United States. *1938 – The March of Dimes is established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. *1944 – World War II: Top Ace Major Greg "Pappy" Boyington is shot down in his Vought F4U Corsair by Captain Masajiro Kawato flying a Mitsubishi A6M Zero. *1945 – World War II: Admiral Chester W. Nimitz is placed in command of all U.S. Naval forces in preparation for planned assaults against Iwo Jima and Okinawa in Japan. *1946 – Popular Canadian American jockey George Woolf dies in a freak accident during a race; the annual George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award is created to honor him. *1947 – Proceedings of the U.S. Congress are televised for the first time. *1949 – The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the central bank of the Philippines, is established. *1953 – Frances P. Bolton and her son, Oliver from Ohio, become the first mother and son to serve simultaneously in the U.S. Congress. *1956 – A fire damages the top part of the Eiffel Tower. *1957 – The Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch. *1958 – The West Indies Federation is formed. *1959 – Alaska is admitted as the 49th U.S. state. *1961 – The United States severs diplomatic relations with Cuba over the latter's nationalization of American assets. * 1961 – The SL-1 nuclear reactor is destroyed by a steam explosion in the only reactor incident in the United States to cause immediate fatalities. * 1961 – A protest by agricultural workers in Baixa de Cassanje, Portuguese Angola, turns into a revolt, opening the Angolan War of Independence, the first of the Portuguese Colonial Wars. *1962 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro. *1976 – International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights entered into force. *1977 – Apple Computer is incorporated. *1990 – Manuel Noriega, former leader of Panama, surrenders to American forces. *1993 – In Moscow, Russia, George Bush and Boris Yeltsin sign the second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). * 1994 – More than seven million people from the former apartheid Homelands receive South African citizenship. *1999 – The Mars Polar Lander is launched. *2000 – Final daily Peanuts comic strip. *2002 – Israeli forces seize the Palestinian freighter Karine A in the Red Sea, finding 50 tons of weapons. *2004 – Flash Airlines Flight 604 crashes into the Red Sea, resulting in 148 deaths, making it one of the deadliest aviation accidents in Egyptian history. *2009 – The first block of the blockchain of the decentralized payment system Bitcoin, called the Genesis block, was established by the creator of the system, Satoshi Nakamoto. *2015 – Boko Haram militants raze the entire town of Baga in north-east Nigeria, starting the 2015 Baga massacre and killing as many as 2,000 people. Births *106 BC – Cicero, Roman philosopher, lawyer, and politician (d. 43 BC) * 169 – Lü Bu, Chinese general and warlord (d. 199) *1196 – Emperor Tsuchimikado of Japan (d. 1231) *1509 – Gian Girolamo Albani, Italian cardinal (d. 1591) *1611 – James Harrington, English political theorist (d. 1677) *1698 – Pietro Metastasio, Italian poet and songwriter (d. 1782) *1710 – Richard Gridley, American soldier and engineer (d. 1796) *1719 – Francisco José Freire, Portuguese historian and philologist (d. 1773) *1722 – Fredrik Hasselqvist, Swedish biologist and explorer (d. 1752) *1760 – Veerapandiya Kattabomman, Indian ruler (d. 1799) *1775 – Francis Caulfeild, 2nd Earl of Charlemont (d. 1863) *1778 – Antoni Melchior Fijałkowski, Polish archbishop (d. 1861) *1793 – Lucretia Mott, American activist (d. 1880) *1802 – Charles Pelham Villiers, English lawyer and politician (d. 1898) *1803 – Douglas William Jerrold, English journalist and playwright (d. 1857) *1806 – Henriette Sontag, German soprano and actress (d. 1854) *1810 – Antoine Thomson d'Abbadie, French geographer, ethnologist, linguist, and astronomer (d. 1897) *1816 – Samuel C. Pomeroy, American businessman and politician (d. 1891) *1819 – Charles Piazzi Smyth, Italian-Scottish astronomer and academic (d. 1900) *1821 – Karel Dežman, Slovenian archaeologist, botanist, and politician, Mayor of Ljubljana (d. 1889) *1831 – Savitribai Phule, Indian poet, educator, and activist (d. 1897) *1836 – Sakamoto Ryōma, Japanese samurai and rebel leader (d. 1867) *1840 – Father Damien, Flemish priest and missionary (d. 1889) *1855 – Hubert Bland, English businessman (d. 1914) *1861 – Ernest Renshaw, English tennis player (d. 1899) * 1861 – William Renshaw, English tennis player (d. 1904) *1862 – Matthew Nathan, English soldier and politician, 13th Governor of Queensland (d. 1939) *1865 – Henry Lytton, English actor (d. 1936) *1870 – Henry Handel Richardson, Australian-English author (d. 1946) *1873 – Ichizō Kobayashi, Japanese businessman and art collector, founded the Hankyu Hanshin Holdings (d. 1957) *1875 – Alexandros Diomidis, Greek banker and politician, 145th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1950) *1876 – Wilhelm Pieck, German carpenter and politician, 1st President of the German Democratic Republic (d. 1960) *1877 – Josephine Hull, American actress (d. 1957) *1880 – Francis Browne, Irish Jesuit priest and photographer (d. 1960) *1883 – Clement Attlee, English soldier, lawyer, and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1967) * 1883 – Duncan Gillis, Canadian discus thrower and hammer thrower (d. 1963) *1884 – Raoul Koczalski, Polish pianist and composer (d. 1948) *1885 – Harry Elkins Widener, American businessman (d. 1912) *1886 – John Gould Fletcher, American poet and author (d. 1950) * 1886 – Arthur Mailey, Australian cricketer (d. 1967) *1887 – August Macke, German-French painter (d. 1914) * 1887 – Helen Parkhurst, American author and educator (d. 1973) *1892 – J.R.R. Tolkien, English writer, poet, and philologist (d. 1973) *1894 – ZaSu Pitts, American actress (d. 1963) *1895 – Boris Lyatoshinsky, Ukrainian composer and conductor (d. 1968) *1897 – Marion Davies, American actress and comedian (d. 1961) *1898 – Carolyn Haywood, American author and illustrator (d. 1990) * 1898 – Carlos Keller, Chilean historian, academic, and politician (d. 1974) *1900 – Donald J. Russell, American businessman (d. 1985) *1901 – Ngô Đình Diệm, Vietnamese lawyer and politician, 1st President of the Republic of Vietnam (d. 1963) *1905 – Dante Giacosa, Italian engineer (d. 1996) * 1905 – Anna May Wong, American actress (d. 1961) *1907 – Ray Milland, Welsh-American actor and director (d. 1986) *1909 – Victor Borge, Danish-American pianist and conductor (d. 2000) *1910 – Frenchy Bordagaray, American baseball player and manager (d. 2000) *1911 – John Sturges, American director and producer (d. 1982) *1912 – Federico Borrell García, Spanish soldier (d. 1936) * 1912 – Renaude Lapointe, Canadian journalist and politician (d. 2002) * 1912 – Armand Lohikoski, American-Finnish actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2005) *1915 – Jack Levine, American painter and soldier (d. 2010) *1916 – Maxene Andrews, American singer (d. 1995) * 1916 – Betty Furness, American actress and television journalist (d. 1994) * 1916 – Fred Haas, American golfer (d. 2004) *1917 – Albert Mol, Dutch author and actor (d. 2002) * 1917 – Vernon A. Walters, American general and diplomat, 17th United States Ambassador to the United Nations (d. 2002) * 1917 – Roger Williams Straus, Jr., American journalist and publisher, co-founded Farrar, Straus and Giroux (d. 2004) *1919 – Dorothy Morrison, American actress * 1919 – Herbie Nichols, American pianist and composer (d. 1963) *1920 – Siegfried Buback, German lawyer and politician, Attorney General of Germany (d. 1977) * 1920 – Renato Carosone, Italian singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2001) *1921 – Chetan Anand, Indian director and screenwriter (d. 1997) *1922 – Bill Travers, English actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1994) *1923 – Hank Stram, American football coach and sportscaster (d. 2005) *1924 – Otto Beisheim, German businessman and philanthropist, founded Metro AG (d. 2013) * 1924 – André Franquin, Belgian author and illustrator (d. 1997) * 1924 – Nell Rankin, American soprano and educator (d. 2005) *1925 – Jill Balcon, English actress (d. 2009) *1926 – W. Michael Blumenthal, American economist and politician, 64th United States Secretary of the Treasury * 1926 – George Martin, English composer, conductor, and producer (d. 2016) *1928 – Michael Barratt, English television host and announcer * 1928 – Abdul Rahman Ya'kub, Malaysian lawyer and politician, 3rd Chief Minister of Sarawak (d. 2015) *1929 – Sergio Leone, Italian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1989) * 1929 – Ernst Mahle, German-Brazilian composer and conductor * 1929 – Gordon Moore, American businessman, co-founder of Intel Corporation *1930 – Robert Loggia, American actor and director (d. 2015) *1931 – Yashawant Dinkar Phadke, Indian historian and activist (d. 2008) *1932 – Dabney Coleman, American actor * 1932 – Eeles Landström, Finnish pole vaulter and politician *1933 – Geoffrey Bindman, English lawyer * 1933 – Anya Linden, English ballerina * 1933 – Anne Stevenson, American-English poet and author *1934 – Marpessa Dawn, American-French actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2008) * 1934 – Carla Anderson Hills, American lawyer and politician, 5th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development *1935 – Raymond Garneau, Canadian businessman and politician *1936 – Michael Layard, English admiral *1937 – Glen A. Larson, American director, producer, and screenwriter, created Battlestar Galactica (d. 2014) *1938 – Robin Butler, Baron Butler of Brockwell, English academic and politician * 1938 – K. Ganeshalingam, Sri Lankan accountant and politician, Mayor of Colombo (d. 2006) *1939 – Arik Einstein, Israeli singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2013) * 1939 – Bobby Hull, Canadian ice hockey player *1940 – Leo de Berardinis, Italian actor and director (d. 2008) * 1940 – Bernard Blaut, Polish footballer and coach (d. 2007) *1941 – Malcolm Dick, New Zealand rugby player *1942 – John Marsden, Australian lawyer and activist (d. 2006) * 1942 – John Thaw, English actor and producer (d. 2002) *1943 – Jarl Alfredius, Swedish journalist (d. 2009) * 1943 – Van Dyke Parks, American singer-songwriter, musician, composer, author, and actor *1944 – David Atherton, English conductor, co-founded London Sinfonietta * 1944 – Raewyn Connell, Australian sociologist and academic * 1944 – Blanche d'Alpuget, Australian author * 1944 – Chris von Saltza, American swimmer *1945 – David Starkey, English historian and academic * 1945 – Stephen Stills, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer *1946 – John Paul Jones, English bass player, songwriter, and producer * 1946 – Michalis Kritikopoulos, Greek footballer (d. 2002) *1947 – Fran Cotton, English rugby player * 1947 – Zulema, American singer-songwriter (d. 2013) *1948 – Ian Nankervis, Australian footballer *1950 – Victoria Principal, American actress and businesswoman * 1950 – Linda Steiner, American journalist and academic *1951 – Linda Dobbs, English lawyer and judge * 1951 – Gary Nairn, Australian surveyor and politician, 14th Special Minister of State *1952 – Esperanza Aguirre, Spanish civil servant and politician, 3rd President of the Community of Madrid * 1952 – Gianfranco Fini, Italian journalist and politician, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs * 1952 – Jim Ross, Professional wrestling commentator *1953 – Justin Fleming, Australian playwright and author * 1953 – Mohammed Waheed Hassan, Maldivian educator and politician, 5th President of the Maldives *1956 – Mel Gibson, American-Australian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter *1957 – Dave Dobbyn, New Zealand singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer *1958 – James J. Greco, American businessman * 1958 – Shim Hyung-rae, South Korean actor, director, and producer *1960 – Russell Spence, English race car driver *1962 – Gavin Hastings, Scottish rugby player *1963 – Stewart Hosie, Scottish businessman and politician * 1963 – Aamer Malik, Pakistani cricketer * 1963 – Alex Wheatle, English author and playwright *1964 – Bruce LaBruce, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter * 1964 – Cheryl Miller, American basketball player and coach *1966 – Chetan Sharma, Indian cricketer *1968 – Lorenzo Fertitta, American entrepreneur, casino executive and sports promoter *1969 – Jarmo Lehtinen, Finnish race car driver * 1969 – Michael Schumacher, German race car driver * 1969 – Gerda Weissensteiner, Italian luger and bobsledder *1971 – Cory Cross, Canadian ice hockey player and coach * 1971 – Lee Il-hwa, South Korean actress *1972 – Janek Kiisman, Estonian footballer *1973 – Dan Harmon, American screenwriter and producer *1974 – Robert-Jan Derksen, Dutch golfer * 1974 – Alessandro Petacchi, Italian cyclist * 1974 – Shin Eun-jung, South Korean actress *1975 – Thomas Bangalter, French DJ and producer * 1975 – Jun Maeda, Japanese businessman, co-founded the Key Company * 1975 – Danica McKellar, American actress, writer, and mathematician *1976 – Angelos Basinas, Greek footballer * 1976 – Nicholas Gonzalez, American actor and producer *1977 – Lee Bowyer, English footballer and coach * 1977 – A. J. Burnett, American baseball player * 1977 – Mayumi Iizuka, Japanese voice actress and singer *1978 – Dimitra Kalentzou, Greek basketball player * 1978 – Park Sol-mi, South Korean actress * 1978 – Dominic Wood, English comedian and former magician *1980 – Bryan Clay, American decathlete * 1980 – Angela Ruggiero, American ice hockey player * 1980 – David Tyree, American football player * 1980 – Kurt Vile, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer * 1980 – Mary Wineberg, American sprinter *1981 – Eli Manning, American football player *1982 – Peter Clarke, English footballer * 1982 – Lasse Nilsson, Swedish footballer * 1982 – Park Ji-yoon, South Korean singer and actress *1983 – Katie McGrath, Irish actress *1984 – Miloš Juhász, Slovak footballer * 1984 – Billy Mehmet, English-Irish footballer * 1984 – Lee Wan, South Korean actor *1985 – Linas Kleiza, Lithuanian basketball player * 1985 – Evan Moore, American football player *1986 – Dana Hussain, Iraqi sprinter * 1986 – Greg Nwokolo, Indonesian footballer * 1986 – Jessica O'Rourke, American footballer * 1986 – Dmitry Starodubtsev, Russian pole vaulter * 1986 – Jacob Timpano, Australian footballer * 1986 – Allan Walker, Scottish footballer *1987 – Reto Berra, Swiss professional ice hockey goaltender * 1987 – Leonidas Panagopoulos, Greek footballer *1988 – Ikechi Anya, Scottish-Nigerian footballer * 1988 – Rodrigo de la Cadena, Mexican singer-songwriter * 1988 – Jonny Evans, Northern Irish footballer * 1988 – Matt Frattin, Canadian ice hockey player * 1988 – J. R. Hildebrand, American race car driver *1989 – Adas Juškevičius, Lithuanian basketball player * 1989 – Ben Matulino, New Zealand rugby league player * 1989 – Kōhei Uchimura, Japanese artistic gymnast * 1989 – Anthony Wordsworth, English footballer *1990 – Yoichiro Kakitani, Japanese footballer *1991 – Jerson Cabral, Dutch footballer * 1991 – Özgür Çek, Turkish footballer * 1991 – Sébastien Faure, French footballer * 1991 – Dane Gagai, Australian rugby league player *1992 – Doug McDermott, American basketball player * 1992 – Sio Siua Taukeiaho, New Zealand-Tongan rugby league player * 1992 – Sandra Zaniewska, Polish tennis player *1993 – Kevin Ware, American basketball player *1995 – Kim Seol-hyun, South Korean singer and dancer Deaths * 236 – Pope Anterus * 323 – Emperor Yuan of Jin (b. 276) * 661 – Benjamin, Coptic Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria *1098 – Walkelin, French bishop *1322 – Philip V of France (b. 1292) *1437 – Catherine of Valois, queen of Henry V of England (b. 1401) *1489 – Martin Truchseß von Wetzhausen, Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights (b. 1435) *1497 – Beatrice d'Este, Duchess of Milan (b. 1475) *1501 – Ali-Shir Nava'i, Turkic poet, linguist, and mystic (b. 1441) *1543 – Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, Portuguese explorer and navigator (b. 1499) *1571 – Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1505) *1641 – Jeremiah Horrocks, English astronomer and mathematician (b. 1618) *1656 – Mathieu Molé, French politician (b. 1584) *1670 – George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1608) *1701 – Louis I, Prince of Monaco (b. 1642) *1743 – Ferdinando Galli-Bibiena, Italian painter and architect (b. 1657) *1777 – William Leslie, Scottish captain (b. 1751) *1779 – Claude Bourgelat, French surgeon and lawyer (b. 1712) *1785 – Baldassare Galuppi, Italian composer (b. 1706) *1795 – Josiah Wedgwood, English potter, founded the Wedgwood Company (b. 1730) *1826 – Louis-Gabriel Suchet, French general (b. 1770) *1871 – Kuriakose Elias Chavara, Indian priest and saint (b. 1805) *1875 – Pierre Larousse, French lexicographer and publisher (b. 1817) *1882 – William Harrison Ainsworth, English author (b. 1805) *1895 – James Merritt Ives, American lithographer and businessman, co-founded Currier and Ives (b. 1824) *1903 – Alois Hitler, Austrian civil servant (b. 1837) *1911 – Alexandros Papadiamantis, Greek author and poet (b. 1851) *1915 – James Elroy Flecker, English poet, author, and playwright (b. 1884) *1916 – Grenville M. Dodge, American general and politician (b. 1831) *1922 – Wilhelm Voigt, German criminal (b. 1849) *1923 – Jaroslav Hašek, Czech journalist and author (b. 1883) *1927 – Carl David Tolmé Runge, German physicist and mathematician (b. 1856) *1931 – Joseph Joffre, French general (b. 1852) *1933 – Wilhelm Cuno, German lawyer and politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1876) * 1933 – Jack Pickford, Canadian-American actor, director, and producer (b. 1896) *1943 – Walter James, Australian lawyer and politician, 5th Premier of Western Australia (b. 1863) *1944 – Jurgis Baltrušaitis, Lithuanian poet, critic, and translator (b. 1873) *1945 – Edgar Cayce, American psychic and author (b. 1877) * 1945 – Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski, Polish journalist and explorer (b. 1879) *1946 – William Joyce, American-born Irish-British pro-Axis propaganda broadcaster (b. 1906) *1956 – Alexander Gretchaninov, Russian-American pianist and composer (b. 1864) * 1956 – Dimitrios Vergos, Greek wrestler, weightlifter, and shot putter (b. 1886) * 1956 – Joseph Wirth, German educator and politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1876) *1958 – Cafer Tayyar Eğilmez, Turkish general (b. 1877) *1959 – Edwin Muir, Scottish poet, author, and translator (b. 1887) *1960 – Eric P. Kelly, American journalist, author, and academic (b. 1884) *1962 – Hermann Lux, German footballer and manager (b. 1893) *1965 – Milton Avery, American painter (b. 1885) *1966 – Sammy Younge Jr., American civil rights activist (b. 1944) *1967 – Mary Garden, Scottish-American soprano and actress (b. 1874) * 1967 – Reginald Punnett, British scientist (b. 1875) * 1967 – Jack Ruby, American businessman and murderer (b. 1911) *1969 – Jean Focas, Greek-French astronomer (b. 1909) * 1969 – Tzavalas Karousos, Greek-French actor (b. 1904) *1970 – Gladys Aylward, English missionary and humanitarian (b. 1902) *1972 – Mohan Rakesh, Indian author and playwright (b. 1925) *1975 – Victor Kraft, Austrian philosopher from the Vienna Circle (b. 1880) * 1975 – James McCormack, American general (b. 1910) *1977 – William Gropper, American lithographer, cartoonist, and painter (b. 1897) *1979 – Conrad Hilton, American businessman, founded the Hilton Hotels & Resorts (b. 1887) *1980 – Joy Adamson, Austrian-Kenyan author (b. 1910) * 1980 – George Sutherland Fraser, Scottish poet and academic (b. 1915) *1981 – Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone (b. 1883) *1988 – Rose Ausländer, Ukrainian-German poet and author (b. 1901) * 1988 – Joie Chitwood, American race car driver and stuntman (b. 1912) *1989 – Sergei Sobolev, Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1909) *1992 – Judith Anderson, British actress (b. 1897) *1993 – Johnny Most, American soldier and sportscaster (b. 1923) *2002 – Satish Dhawan, Indian engineer (b. 1920) * 2002 – Juan García Esquivel, Mexican pianist and composer (b. 1918) * 2002 – Freddy Heineken, Dutch businessman (b. 1923) *2003 – Sid Gillman, American football player and coach (b. 1911) * 2003 – Jimmy Stewart, Scottish race car driver (b. 1931) *2004 – Des Corcoran, Australian soldier and politician, 37th Premier of South Australia (b. 1928) *2005 – Koo Chen-fu, Taiwanese businessman and diplomat (b. 1917) * 2005 – Egidio Galea, Maltese Roman Catholic priest, missionary, and educator (b. 1918) * 2005 – Jyotindra Nath Dixit, Indian diplomat, 2nd Indian National Security Adviser (b. 1936) *2006 – Steve Rogers, Australian rugby player and coach (b. 1954) * 2006 – Bill Skate, Papua New Guinean politician, 5th Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea (b. 1954) *2007 – János Fürst, Hungarian violinist and conductor (b. 1935) * 2007 – Earl Reibel, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1930) * 2007 – William Verity, Jr., American businessman and politician, 27th United States Secretary of Commerce (b. 1917) * 2007 – Cecil Walker, Northern Irish politician (b. 1924) *2008 – Aleksandr Abdulov, Russian actor and screenwriter (b. 1953) * 2008 – Werner Dollinger, German economist and politician, German Federal Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development (b. 1918) * 2008 – Choi Yo-sam, South Korean boxer (b. 1972) *2009 – Betty Freeman, American philanthropist and photographer (b. 1921) * 2009 – Pat Hingle, American actor (b. 1924) * 2009 – Ulf G. Lindén, Swedish businessman (b. 1937) * 2009 – Hisayasu Nagata, Japanese politician (b. 1969) *2010 – Gustavo Becerra-Schmidt, Chilean-German composer and academic (b. 1925) * 2010 – Mary Daly, American theologian and scholar (b. 1928) *2012 – Vicar, Chilean cartoonist (b. 1934) * 2012 – Gene Bartow, American basketball player and coach (b. 1930) * 2012 – Robert L. Carter, American lawyer and judge (b. 1917) * 2012 – Winifred Milius Lubell, American author and illustrator (b. 1914) * 2012 – Josef Škvorecký, Czech-Canadian author and publisher (b. 1924) * 2012 – Bob Weston, English guitarist and songwriter (b. 1947) *2013 – Alfie Fripp, English soldier and pilot (b. 1913) * 2013 – Ivan Mackerle, Czech cryptozoologist, explorer, and author (b. 1942) * 2013 – William Maxson, American general (b. 1930) * 2013 – Sergiu Nicolaescu, Romanian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1930) *2014 – Phil Everly, American singer and guitarist (b. 1939) * 2014 – George Goodman, American economist and author (b. 1930) * 2014 – Saul Zaentz, American film producer (b. 1921) *2015 – Martin Anderson, American economist and academic (b. 1936) * 2015 – Edward Brooke, American captain and politician, 47th Massachusetts Attorney General (b. 1919) * 2015 – Bryan Caldwell, American football player (b. 1960) * 2015 – Allie Sherman, American football player and coach (b. 1923) *2016 – Paul Bley, Canadian-American pianist and composer (b. 1932) * 2016 – Peter Naur, Danish computer scientist, astronomer, and academic (b. 1928) * 2016 – Bill Plager, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1945) * 2016 – Igor Sergun, Russian general and diplomat (b. 1957) *2017 – H. S. Mahadeva Prasad, Indian politician (b. 1958) Holidays and observances *Anniversary of the 1966 Coup d'état (Burkina Faso) *Christian feast day: **Genevieve **Kuriakose Elias Chavara (Syro-Malabar Catholic Church) **William Passavant (Episcopal Church) **January 3 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) *Ministry of Religious Affairs Day (Indonesia) *Tamaseseri Festival (Hakozaki Shrine, Fukuoka, Japan) *The first day of Nakhatsenendyan toner, celebrated until January 5 (Armenia). *The tenth of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Western Christianity) External links * BBC: On This Day * * On This Day in Canada Category:Days of the year Category:January